LOS ANGELES — Investigators worked Sunday to piece together what killed Whitney Houston as the music industry’s biggest names gathered for a Grammy Awards show that at times felt as much like a memorial as a celebration.
Coroner’s officials say they will not release any information on an autopsy performed Sunday at the request of police detectives investigating the singer’s death.
The singer was found in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, but Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter declined to say anything more about the room’s condition or any evidence investigators recovered.
He said there were no obvious signs of trauma on Houston’s body, but that officials were not ruling out any causes of death until they have toxicology results, which will take weeks to obtain.
Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said that his agency may release more details today about Houston’s death, but it will depend on whether detectives feel comfortable releasing any information.
A member of Houston’s entourage found the 48-year-old singer unresponsive in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, just hours before she was supposed to appear at a pre-Grammy gala.
Rosen said there were no indications of foul play. Paramedics worked to revive Houston, but were unsuccessful and the singer was pronounced dead shortly before 4 p.m. He said he could not comment on the condition of Houston’s room or where she had been found.
Meanwhile, Houston’s daughter was transported by ambulance to a Los Angeles hospital Sunday morning and later released. A source close to the family who did not want to speak given the sensitivity of the matter said she was treated and released for stress and anxiety. Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, who is Houston’s daughter from her marriage to singer Bobby Brown, had accompanied her mother to several pre-Grammy Awards events last week.
“At this time, we ask for privacy, especially for my daughter, Bobbi Kristina,” Bobby Brown wrote in a statement released about an hour after she was transported from the hotel. “I appreciate all of the condolences that have been directed towards my family and I at this most difficult time.”
Sunday’s Grammys featured a musical tribute by Jennifer Hudson, whose version of Houston’s most famous hit, “I Will Always Love You,” ended with Hudson’s personal note, “Whitney, we love you.” Early in the show, LL Cool J introduced a clip of a glowing Houston at the 1994 Grammys singing her signature ballad, the most downloaded song for much of Sunday on iTunes.
Houston won six Grammys and had been expected to perform at the pre-awards gala Saturday night thrown by music impresario Clive Davis, her longtime mentor.
Davis went ahead with his annual party and concert, which were held at the same hotel where Houston’s body was found — and where it remained for most of Saturday night. He dedicated the evening to her and asked for a moment of silence.
Houston had been at rehearsals for the Davis concert Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it.
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